By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA—The  Kogi  State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja,  yesterday, adjourned further proceeding on the case that was brought before it by Hon. James Faleke of the All Progressives Congress, APC, till  next week Monday.

Wada-Faleke-Bello

The case was adjourned after all the parties filed and exchanged their pre-hearing reports, having distilled all the issues they want the court to resolve with a view to determining whether Governor Yahaya Bello was validly elected to pilot the affairs of Kogi state for the next four years.

The Justice Halima Mohammed-led three man panel tribunal directed the parties to return on March 14 to adopt the reports, so as to enable it to commence full-blown hearing on the substantive matter.

The panel had earlier adjourned the petition that was brought before it by the immediate past governor of the state, Capt. Idris Wada (retd), who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the election, till  Tuesday next week.

The two petitioners are praying the tribunal to invalidate the process that led to the emergence of Governor Bello as winner of the gubernatorial election that took place in  Kogi  State last year.

Specifically, Faleke went before the tribunal to challenge the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to declare him as the valid winner of the governorship election in  Kogi  State.

He is among others, praying the tribunal to declare that INEC acted wrongly when it declared the outcome of the  November 21  gubernatorial poll inconclusive.

Faleke through his  team of lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, (SAN) contended that the initial election  had produced a winner in late Prince Abubakar Audu, saying  his death arrogates to him the status of Governor-elect.

Insisting that he had a joint ticket with late Audu, Faleke argued that INEC should not have declared the election inconclusive since they had already secured enough votes to warrant the declaration of a winner on the basis of the total number of votes that was cast.

On his part, Wada went before the tribunal to  protest what he termed, “gross irregularities” during the polls.

He wants the tribunal to determine if Yahaya Bello was qualified to be declared Governor-elect even though he did not take part in all the electoral processes that led to the supplementary poll.

Wada maintained that INEC contravened the electoral law by accepting to allow the APC to replace the late Prince Audu with Bello.

The former governor through his team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN, claimed that his successor went into the supplementary poll without a valid running-mate.